Portable and operable wall system

Abstract

A portable and operable wall system utlizing panels extending between a floor and ceiling with a channel-shaped member having seal means thereon along the top and/or bottom edge of the panel with at least one of the channel-shaped members being spring biased into engagement with the ceiling and/or floor to provide an effective, sound, light and air seal between the panels and the ceiling and floor.

What is claimed as new is as follows: 
     
       1. A panel positionable between a floor surface and an overhead surface comprising a rigid panel having top and bottom edges, a channel along the bottom edge of the panel for engaging the floor surface, and a channel along the top edge of the panel engaging the overhead surface, means resiliently biasing one of said channels vertically outwardly in relation to the panel for forming a sound, light and air seal at the top and bottom of the panel, said resilient biasing means including lengthwise compressible resilient means, means initially adjusting said vertically movable channel to a position just beyond its final position without changing the force exerted thereon by the resilient biasing means, both of said channels being vertically movable with at least one of said channels being resiliently biased outwardly of the panel, each of said channels including guide means connected with the panel for guided vertical movement in relation thereto, said guide means includes an elongated rod extending through and journaled in the channel, an outer portion of said rod being externally threaded and the inner portion thereof being externally smooth, a floating guide block screw threaded onto the threaded portion of the rod, floating block guide means in the panel for preventing rotation of the floating block but enabling vertical movement thereof, a stationery guide block in the panel in spaced relation to the floating guide block and including an aperture rotatably and reciprocally receiving the portion of the rod inwardly of the externally threaded portion thereof, said resilient biasing means including a compression coil spring encircling the rod and interposed between the stationary block and floating block to bias the floating block, rod and channel outwardly in relation to the panel, and means on said rod accessible exteriorly of the channel to enable rotatable adjustment of the threaded rod in relation to the floating block in order to adjust the initial position of the channel whereby compression of the spring will enable the channel to conform with variations in the floor-to-ceiling height with the initial adjustment of the channel enabling the force necessary to further compress the spring during movement of the channel to its final position to be a minimum and constant force, and manually actuated means selectively retracting the resiliently biased channel toward the panel and releasing the channel for outward movement. 
     
     
       2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said resiliently biased channel is along the top edge of the panel. 
     
     
       3. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said resiliently biased channel is along the bottom edge of the panel. 
     
     
       4. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said manually actuated means includes a tension member connected to said resiliently biased channel, and means mounted on said panel and having said tension member connected thereto for exerting tension force on the tension member and resilient biased channel. 
     
     
       5. The structure as defined in claim 4 wherein said means having the tension member connected thereto is a rotatable lever mounted for limited rotation with the tension member shifting to opposite sides of the rotational axis with the resilient biasing means retaining the lever in both of its limited positions. 
     
     
       6. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said channel along the top edge of the panel includes upwardly extending support rods connected thereto, support means on the upper end of each rod for movable supporting engagement with an overhead supporting track whereby the panel is movably supported from said track. 
     
     
       7. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said channels includes parallel legs receiving opposite surfaces of the panel, said legs being interconnected by a web having laterally spaced longitudinally continuous seal strips thereon.